18 March 2011

Random Beer Roundup - The March Madness Begins Edition

Hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day! Even if you didn't go out to celebrate, I hope you enjoyed the nice weather. As the temperatures increase, so do the beer events, it seems. The calendar is getting full of great beer events.

If there is something coming up that is not listed, we would love to hear about it. News, reviews, info, etc., to share for our next Random Beer Roundup can be submitted to hoosierbeergeek@gmail.com. Don't see your favorite craft beer establishment? Let them know you'd like to see them here! Work for an establishment that serves craft beer? We want to hear from you too!

On tap this weekend at Lafayette Brewing Co.: Star City Lager; Prophet's Rock Pale Ale; East Side Bitter; Pipers' Pride Scottish Ale; Tippecanoe Common Ale; Eighty-Five American Ale; and Black Angus Oatmeal Stout. We'll also be pulling pints of our annual batch of Digby's Irish Stout from the beer engine. A classic dry stout, Digby's is produced with pale, roasted and raw barley and weighs in at 4.4% ABV with 28 IBUs. Look for our next specialty release on Sunday, March 20, as we unveil our latest batch of Equinox Ale- a hearty American IPA featuring equally massive doses of Centennial and Amarillo hops. Brewed to celebrate the first day of spring, this feisty brew comes in at 6.4% ABV with 70 IBUs.

On Thursday, March 24th, we will release the Heavenly Hefeweizen.
(O.G.=1.049 ABV=5.35% IBU=13)

Other Current Seasonals are:

Golden Glory Ale
This is a golden ale made with 100% Marris Otter malt and a special blend of hops called Falconer’s Flight. The aroma of the hops comes through as a citrus-like fragrance, followed by the delicate flavor of the hops and a light to medium bodied golden delicious beer. The idea is to display the aroma and flavor character of the hops in the beer without adding a significant amount of bitterness. Enjoy! O.G.=1.055 ABV=5.9% IBU=17

Old Reggiewig's Wee Winter Warmer
Owner Chris “Reggie” Roegner had a bottle of Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale (brown ale w/ginger, cinnamon, orange peel), and decided that Half Moon needed a winter beer that was similar. And so, Old Reggiewig’s Wee Winter Warmer was born. A strong Scotch Ale (Wee Heavy) made with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and sweet orange peel. It has the distinct aroma of ginger and cinnamon followed by a full bodied, sweet malty, and wintery spiced flavor. It’s a beer that will keep you warm for the rest of the winter. O.G.=1.070 ABV=7.2% IBU=23

Irish Dry Stout (Seasonal)
Brewed with lots of roasted barley to give it an authentic Irish Stout flavor. A very dark, roasty, dry, creamy ale served on a nitrogen system and stout faucet. This special brew was done to have an authentic Irish beer to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. However, the nitrogen system stays with us to enjoy many a creamy head forever! O.G.=1.056 ABV=5.7% IBU=39

I also wanted to mention that Half Moon was voted "Best Of" in 8 deifferent categories for 2010 by the readers of the Kokomo Tribune. Best BBQ, Best Burger, Best Steak, Best Wings, Best Place For Family Dining, Best Place To Watch The Game, Best Place To Go And Talk With
Friends, and last but certainly not least, Best Place To Catch A Buzz.

Blackberry and Cherry Lambic reservations closed in about 22 hours. We're once again honored that so many people are excited about these beers! We look forward to seeing everyone between Mar. 29-Apr 12.

Find us this Saturday at Muncie Gras! We're celebrating the holiday by pouring samples above the Heorot.

1) John Holl will be launching his new book “Indiana Breweries” from 6 to 9pm on April 28th at Three Wise Men Brewing. I know it’s a little early for this, but I just heard from John and thought I’d mention it. I have posted the event on the WCB events calendar.

2) As you know, Dogfish Head will be leaving Indiana. What we know now is that we will be getting one more order from Dogfish Head in the next few weeks and that’s it. Inventory concerns are likely to keep Dogfish Head out of Indiana for a good while, perhaps a couple of years. At the moment, our inventory is pretty limited and I expect it to sell in a hurry. We’ll certainly miss them, the beers and the people.

3) I will be at the Craft Brewers Conference next week and I plan to tweet and post to Facebook quite a bit. Anyone interested in following that can find me on Twitter @worldclass or on Facebook at facebook.com/WorldClassBeerIN. If folks from Indiana have questions for certain brewers or people out there, I’ll try to get them answered!

4) Liefmans Brewery beers are back in Indiana including the Cuvee Brut (Kriek), Fruitesse and Goudenband. Liefmans was gone from the US for a while but now owned by Duvel/Moortgat they are back and still brewing in their historic Oudenarde, Belgium facility. Of course, we’re tracking all the beer locations through Beer Spy at: http://in.worldclassbeverages.com/beerspy/brewery/liefmans/215/.

Located in the parking lot that surrounds his private dining and event facility, Chef JJ’s Back Yard, Chef JJ’s Eggfest will feature food grilled by 30 teams on 30 different Big Green Eggs, an Iron Chef-style grilling challenge, Fresh•Local•Beer, and organic wine. Also, Sun King will tap a seasonal beer at the event!

JJ’s Back Yard will also offer egg-cellent discounts on Big Green Egg grills and accessories. Tickets are only $25 per person and include unlimited food and one drink ticket for adults of legal drinking age. Children 12 and younger will be admitted free of charge and there will be a play area for kids.

The first ever "Bar Week" in Indy is here! From April 4th - 10th, participating bars are offering up a menu of your favorite lascivious and liberating libations at 50% off! Open to all, from open to close!

7 Days. 7 Bars. 7 events! Each night of the week, Yelp will be hosting an event open to the public!

Brew Bracket Introduces Live Tasting Tournament Featuring Local Craft Beers on April 17th; 400 Hoosiers to Vote for Best IPA in Indiana

KOTBR #90 - Medal Winners - We visit Barley Island and Brugge Brasserie in Broad Ripple to try some medal winning beers. Things get interesting when we are joined by some special guests, including Michael Phelps, Rob Halford, Glenn Danzig, and Brugge's very own Ted Miller.

Beer: The Pedal Pusher's Potion - Our first in depth feature receives support from Dogfish Head, Left Hand, Breckenridge Brewery, and Smuttynose, and draws in hits from hundreds of cyclists looking for a beer buzz.